Help for Parents Archive

I once accompanied a high school choir at their own version of the Music Artistry Program.

Since pianists don’t carry around their own instrument, we all learn how to adjust in the moment to each piano we play and create as beautiful of a sound as possible.

The only downside to this is that it doesn’t encourage proper care of a piano because to the untrained ear, people think the piano is great when in reality, it isn’t fun to play.

Over the years I have played some incredible pianos that did everything I wanted, and I’ve played my share of terrible pianos where keys and pedals didn’t work and were significantly out of tune.

At this particular choir event, I played a short upright in the warm-up room, followed by a 9-foot concert grand Steinway in the concert hall, followed by 5-foot grand in the room where the judge worked with the choir.

The short upright had unusual dimensions. The music rack sat over the keyboard, so if my hands went up, they would hit it. It was also a shallow piano, so I couldn’t move the music rack away from me where it would be easier to read. I sat as far away from the piano as possible just to compensate for it. It took extra work to play that piano.

When we moved on to the concert hall with the 9-ft Steinway, the dimensions of the piano were great. I could move the music rack away from me; the bench was easily adjustable, and the tone of the piano was exquisite. It was a joy to play that piano.

When we moved to the room where the judge worked with the choir, the 5-ft grand piano in that room played well, and I could move that music rack away from me. However, when I looked at the keyboard itself, I was surprised to find an extra 1/4 inch of space after the key should have ended at the fallboard. Don’t anyone with long fingers accidently get stuck in there!

Three different pianos in the space of an hour, and only one of them would I go back and play for fun.

A piano that is fun to play keeps pianists coming back for more. When looking for your own piano, find the best piano you can afford, and watch your skills, confidence and fun soar.

Do not underestimate the value of choosing a quality instrument for your child to practice on. It is an investment that will give back exactly what you put into it.

If you are thinking about piano lessons, we’d love to help. Call us at 360-527-9626. We also help all of our students find a suitable piano. Click here for tips on buying a piano. We look forward to hearing from you.

Practicing. Everyone knows it’s an integral part of learning any new endeavor, and learning to play the piano is no exception. Some days your child may be inspired to practice, and other days not. This is completely normal.

Even professional musicians have days where they are inspired to practice, and other days where they don’t feel like it. However, they realize that without practice they will not perform well; they will probably not get hired again, and then they will need to find another way to make a living. So they make practice a priority regardless of how they feel on a particular day.

For students learning how to play the piano the stakes aren’t so high, but learning how to establish a practice routine (for any endeavor) is a wonderful skill to have as they grow into adulthood. Here are a few ideas to help you guide your child with making a practice routine.

1. Have piano practice be a part of their daily routine. Just like they wouldn’t go to school without their shoes on, neither would they dream of leaving the house without playing the piano first.

2. Tie their practice to something in their day that they never forget to do. One parent told me their secret: Their child likes the ipad. So she gets her ipad time after she practices the piano. She practices nearly every day and doesn’t forget.

It may take a few weeks to determine a routine that works for your child, but it is well-worth the effort. Your child will grow in confidence and skill.

Learning to play the piano can be rewarding and challenging. Finding just the right pace for a student, not too easy, and not too hard, is the key to their continued success. Overcoming challenges incrementally will build their confidence. When your child is confident, they are more open to learning and trying new things. And when they are open to learning, learning accelerates.

I recently had a student discover on her own how to know when a piece is too hard or just right for her.

When she’s learning something new, if it’s just the right level of difficulty, she can master it in about 2-4 tries. When it takes more than five tries, and even then she’s not really getting it, then she knows it’s too hard for her.

It made my day when she came to her lesson one day and announced that a piece I had given her the week before was too hard. The feedback from her helped me determine a more appropriate course of action for her lessons.

Several months from now when she has more skills, we can revisit that piece, and perhaps it will be just the right amount of challenge where she can get it in 2-4 tries.

Each student’s pace of learning is unique to them. Teaching them self-awareness so they can be actively involved in their own learning process will enhance their learning and develop independence. When a student is invested in their own learning, the sky really is the limit on what they can accomplish.

Several years ago I used to coach youth hockey. Us coaches regularly had our own training sessions on how to coach. In one particular class on the ice, the instructor had all of us trade sticks. If you were right handed then trade sticks with someone who was left handed.

After years of honing my skills as a right handed hockey player, it was very awkward to suddenly do everything left handed. I was a complete beginner again, and all the insecurities of not being very good came up. Despite that, I knew this was a great opportunity to learn a new skill and have empathy for the beginners I coached, so I focused on mastering my left-handed skills for the duration of the class.

Other coaches didn’t fare so well. The coach who traded sticks with me very soon wanted his stick back. Yes, it was tempting to just trade back sticks and feel secure again, but what would I learn? It’s hard, give up?

Learning to play the piano is no different. Remaining open to learning and setting aside the judgment of whether or not we are good enough is key to being successful at the piano.

If you see resistance in your child at the piano, sometimes their own personal judgment about themselves lurks under the surface. Let the teacher know, and together find a way to help your child embrace the learning process. It’s a skill that will serve them well for the rest of their life.

I recently met a mother of a four-year old, and she was describing her experience of her child’s first temper tantrum in a grocery store. There her child was, kicking and screaming right in the middle of the aisle.

What this mother did next took me by surprise. She sat down, in the middle of the aisle, put her hand on her child’s back and consoled her.

Within a few minutes the child regained her composure and looked around in surprise. Mom was as calm as could be. The child realized there was no point in continuing the tantrum because she wasn’t getting anything that she had wanted. What’s even better is her child never threw a temper tantrum again.

What I love about this story is that the mother didn’t try to stop her child’s reaction, but rather, let her have it without fixing it or making it go away. This allowed the child to come to her own conclusions which were the very ones the mother wanted to teach her child.

When your child learns to play the piano, and learns how to practice, it can be challenging at times to navigate how best to support your child in learning. Knowing when to step in and assist and when to let something play out, is an art.

What have you found works for you at home? I’d love to hear what you’ve learned!

Having taught many beginners over the years, most of them children between the ages of 7 and 9, one thing is very clear to me: Pianos are adult size. While there are ½ size violins, there are no ½ size pianos.

As a parent, what can you do to ensure your child’s success so they can comfortably grow into the adult size piano over time?

1. Provide a footstool. A pianist’s feet need to be in contact with the ground to feel secure when they play. If your child’s feet don’t reach the ground, place a several inch book or a small footstool from a store under their feet.

2. Make sure the piano bench is high enough. When your child is seated with their feet on the floor (or on the footstool mentioned above), and their shoulders are relaxed and hanging down from their body, have them bend their elbows and place their hands on the keys. Their forearms should be parallel to the floor.

Adjust the bench height (for small children that usually means increase the height) until their forearms are parallel to the floor. You can find a 1-2 inch book to sit on, or take a blanket and fold it up to sit on. You can use a pillow, but sometimes they are too soft for the student to feel secure on the bench.

3. Invest in a piano lamp. Having good lighting that lights up the keyboard and the music will make it easier for your child to focus on learning how to play. As an adult, I can feel the strain on my eyes when I don’t have great lighting. I highly recommend good lighting for your child.

Learning to play the piano is one of the most challenging and rewarding activities your child will undertake. Helping your child feel physically supported when seated at the piano will free them up to place all of their focus on learning how to play. Before you know it, your home will be filled with beautiful music.

I once had a beginning adult student who found a decent starter piano for her home. Over several months she began to realize that she could play the piano at her lesson more easily than the piano in her home. Frustration and the thought of quitting entered her mind. Fortunately, she was an adult and could express this to me, and to a piano technician.

It turned out that the piano in her home needed some maintenance work to make it more playable. While a skilled pianist could have played that piano, it would have taken a lot of effort on the part of the pianist. It was not suitable for a brand new beginner who was just beginning to learn the skills to play the piano.

In learning to play the piano, you really need a good piano to be successful from the beginning. Success brings enjoyment, and if you are enjoying your time at the piano, you will keep coming back.

If you have a child who wants to learn to play the piano, and you worry if they will stick with it, find a good piano. Sometimes a child wishing to quit is really them saying they don’t feel successful. Just changing to a better quality instrument can make all the difference in the world.

If you are thinking about lessons and would like help finding a piano, give us a call at 360-527-9626.

As a child, I loved to read. I always had a book in my hands. I would read a book anywhere. I recall my dad always telling me to get better light. Only if I sat under a good lamp and read was he completely satisfied.

I didn’t think much of this idea of good lighting until I got older and became a professional accompanist playing in churches, many of which had very poor lighting.

There was one venue, however, that had superb lighting. It had a fluorescent desk lamp that lit the keyboard and the music so well that the piano was easy to play. It was my favorite place to play.

When I did not have that kind of lighting, I really noticed it. It was more difficult to read the music and to play the piano. To save my eyesight, and to make my job easier, I started bringing my own piano lamp to the poorly lit venues.

I share this with you because when you’re just starting out sometimes it is easy to overlook lighting, but it can have an impact on the success of your child.

When you get your first piano and are deciding where you will put it in your home, consider the lighting. Having good lighting will make it easier for your child to focus on learning how to play. If needed, invest in a piano lamp. It will only support your child in their success at the piano.

I once had a student who took lessons for a few years, and had an incredible ear. Unfortunately, the starter piano she had deteriorated in quality over the years and developed a buzzing sound right in the middle of the piano where she played. Soon she was barely practicing, if at all.

Her parents did not want to spend the money to upgrade to a better piano unless she practiced and showed more commitment. It was a catch 22. She could not stand to play the piano because of the buzzing, but if she didn’t, piano would come to an end.

A good piano is an investment in your child’s future. What does that future look like? No one knows for sure. It’s understandable that as the parent, you want to first make sure it will be worth it. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee.

However, I can say that the best chance you have of your child’s success is providing a quality piano and keeping it in tune. The best way to ensure that your child quits is to expect them to practice on a poor quality piano or electronic keyboard.

Unfortunately, the student in the story above did not start practicing more and eventually quit after four years of lessons. It is remarkable that she hung on that long. Ironically, she never said she did not like to play the piano. Her sensitive ears just could not stand the buzzing sounds coming from the piano.

Do yourself and your child a favor. Invest in your child’s future. Find a quality piano they can practice on so they can feel successful from the beginning.

When I was young, I loved piano. I played a lot, and sometimes I actually practiced. (I’m defining practice as working out a hard part of the music until I can do it easily). Not until I was an adult and being paid to play the piano at weddings and funerals did I start to really practice efficiently. I was hired to play music that wasn’t necessarily my favorite, but I had a job to do, and I needed to do it well. If I didn’t, no one would hire me again. As a result, I learned to practice very efficiently. No more aimless playing through the piece several times for days on end. I had to have a specific practice plan and clear goal in mind, which was learn the piece quickly and well.

One day, at my accompanying job I was handed a piece of music at the last minute. Usually I would inform the person that I don’t do things last minute. If they wanted the job done, then the music must be given in advance. This day, however, I glanced at the music, and knew that I had the skills to learn it in about 10 minutes. So I said, “Ok.” I gave myself the challenge of how quickly could I learn this piece and perform it and have it be a pleasant experience.

I excused myself, found a piano and sight read once through the piece. As I played I made a mental note of every place where I hesitated, got worried or held my breath hoping to make it through. Then I went back to each of those spots and broke it down to small concepts. Not until I mastered one concept at a time did I go on to the next concept. Here’s how it went:

1. What are the notes of the right hand alone?
2. What’s the fingering of the right hand alone?
3. What’s the rhythm of the right hand alone?
4. What’s the articulation/touch of the right hand alone?
5. What’s the tone quality of the right hand alone?
6. What are the dynamics of the right hand alone?

Once I mastered the right hand alone on each of the concepts above, I went and did the same process with the left hand alone. Once I mastered that, then I did the same thing again hands together. It ended up taking about 10 minutes to work all these things out. Once I did, I then played straight through the piece again to check and see if there were any remaining spots where I hesitated, got worried or held my breath. If I did, then I went back to those spots and repeated the process. Eventually I had no more spots that were difficult. They all were easy. That is when I knew I had mastered the piece, and I was ready to play it.

Efficient practice is a process, not a function of time. Every parent wants to know how much time their child should practice. While setting aside of certain amount of time every day for practice is helpful in providing consistency and a starting point, really effective practice comes from focusing on the process of learning. Fall in love with the process and the results will come.